Shoujo☆Kageki Revue Starlight Movie

With the arrival of a new generation of talented girls, another lively year at Seishou Music Academy begins. The graduating 99th class is already preparing for the much-anticipated rendition of Starlight, a bittersweet story about the parting of two girls.

It seems like all students in the Actor Training Department have their post-graduation future figured out—except for the cheerful Karen Aijou. Having fulfilled her promise of performing in a play with Hikari Kagura, her ambitious childhood friend, Karen struggles to find her purpose. What lies beyond their promise is a mystery to Karen, as Hikari was the fuel that kept her passion for performing aflame. Now alone, Karen must confront the reality of stage girls and find her way toward the future—her very own stage.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Daiba, Nana Main

Koizumi, Moeka Japanese

Tendou, Maya Main

Tomita, Maho Japanese

Saijou, Claudine Main

Aiba, Aina Japanese

Kagura, Hikari Main

Mimori, Suzuko Japanese

Tsuyuzaki, Mahiru Main

Iwata, Haruki Japanese

Hoshimi, Junna Main

Satou, Hinata Japanese

Aijou, Karen Main

Koyama, Momoyo Japanese

Hanayagi, Kaoruko Main

Itou, Ayasa Japanese

Isurugi, Futaba Main

Ikuta, Teru Japanese

Kirin Supporting

Tsuda, Kenjirou Japanese

Katayama, Yuuki Producer

Taketsugu, Akane Producer

Ogasawara, Muneki Producer

Furukawa, Tomohiro Director, Episode Director, Key Animation

Reviews

Dec 30, 2021

Domsa

Recommended

Revue Starlight was one of the series I skipped during summer 2018 and watched at a later date. I ended up really liking it: the pretentious allegory, the idea of life being a stage performance, the critique it brought upon revue (and theatre in general I'd add) and meritocracies to some extent. What's great about this last aspect is the fact that you can tell that it's critique coming from someone supporting the cause, but not agreeing on the means implied, unlike critique for the sake of critique. All in all, a great little series with a rather big cast of cute girls that felt ... a tad bit underdeveloped and that could do a bit better in terms of making its ideology clear. 8/10, there's space for improvement, mainly by getting closure.

And here's where the movie came into play: it served as a really nice conclusion to some of those characters' arcs. Moreover, I'd say it's the natural next stage for them. In the past few years I've been constantly switching between stages: hs to uni, uni to work, gaming to theatre and back to gaming, drawing to watching movies, series and the like to reading and so on and so forth. At times, I'm rather nostalgic about some of these moments, but looking back on it, I'd say it's a natural transition. It's sometimes tough to accept the fact that you have to move on, but by the time you do, you realize that you're already there and this procedure was, in fact, not that hard. Treasuring those memories is a fundamental aspect of moving on. Actually, not of moving on, but of finding meaning in your life. I could call it, pretentiously, the existentialism of Revue Starlight, pat myself on the shoulder and call it a day.

The movie looked really good, some minor nitpicks here and there, but nonetheless a solid production. I absolutely loved the flashy nature of the series and the movie only adds up on that. Pair that with the fabulous OST and the almost memely-called 'Ikuharaesque' at times direction and I'm sold. As I've previously mentioned, the character arcs featured in those acts were great - a really nice combination of drama: on stage - interpersonal drama, conflicts we have at times with one another and drama as in theatre; backstage - intrapersonal drama, or this thing I like to call what-the-f*ck-am-I-doing-with-my-life-what-is-life drama. Ideologically speaking, this last type of drama is my personal favourite meaning of the word. It's probably because I can relate to some extent to this existential dread switching stages causes. Most of us should as it's the thing modern society agreed upon. Moreover, the postmodern society brought something new: the fact that we are connected which undeniably agravates this dread. We see people transitioning between stages faster or better. We see ourselves in an almost-deprecating light: we might think of ourselves as failures because we are not lawyers or doctors or engineers and so on. Our world is spanning for more than those 50 kilometres it used to. We can see those shameless influencers trying to make a living by making you feel shitty about yourself. We can see those flexers whose sole merit of being where they are is being born under better circumstances. We can see people living much better than ourselves, but we have no idea about the context those images were taken in, about how much work they've put into it, whether their image is just an image or not. Despite that, these last aspects are not something you think about first and foremost. This can lead to dread. This leads to dread. This is one of the reasons people claim that unhappiness has been on the rise for the past few decades among others. Truth is, it's difficult to be happy at all times. Heck, it's not even necessary. But being constantly under the weather would make my life, at least, more miserable. I hate motivational speeches. I absolutely detest reading those inspirational books like 'The Alchemist'. Yet here I am... preaching... in the same manner. (or rather calling something that might look similar at first glance a masterpiece)

Insert the movie in our context. It's not about 'Do more of what makes you happy', 'when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it' and all that bullshit. It's a simple, yet effective: find your own meaning and raison d'etre. I believe that most people are not 100% certain about the choices they make at various crossroads. Back in high school, someone might have thought that a certain profession was his calling, however, after ditching a few years in training that certain someone realizes how much he truly despises said profession. Don't hesitate.

We have acknowledged that life is kinda... dumb and meaningless at times, harsh even. For example, I find living to acquire some wealth I can for my descendants to inherit not that rewarding. I'll die, how will that help me? However, some people might set that as their goal and that's perfectly fine. It's a very noble one in fact. I'm not sure if that's exactly the way the parting sequences, trains and so on and so forth, which where predominant themes and motifs all throughout the movie are to be interpreted and that's great, works of fiction that are open to various interpretations are a blessing for some of us. To each, their own. You do you.

Revue Starlight's movie might not be for everyone, but as a sequel I absolutely loved it. It started as both critique and love letter to the meritocratic and the rather homophobic at times thing that Takarazuka is and it turned out as a really nice take on existentialism and living up to those expectations that we believe the society has from us. For me, it was a really nice belated Christmas gift. If you wonder what drugs I'm on, I'd like to know too.

Reviewer’s Rating: 10

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Jan 6, 2022

johnbradshaw

Recommended

"For every hero, there are trials;
For every saint, there are temptations;
For me, there's you"

To me, Shoujo☆Kageki Revue Starlight Movie is truly the most impressive and creative movie in using visual presentations I've seen in many years. And even more spectacular, at the core, Shoujo☆Kageki Revue Starlight as a whole is a profound and heartfell messages of Kabuki Shoujo (Stage Girl), those who has sacrificed so much on the path to become the ultimate star.

So because the movie is kind of bizzare and the story don't have the common structure, I won't talk about it here. Instead, I'll just tell you that it ... started right from where the series left off. And the best way to watch this if you're new and don't have time to watch the series, you can just watch the summary movie and head straight to this (although the series is great, you should watch it), for those who have watched the series, the summary movie is also a good way to refresh your memory and gain the best experience out of this amazing showing of visual and symbolism.

So what is Shoujo☆Kageki Revue Starlight Movie represent? In my humble and honest opinion, it shows us the other side of stage girl. The one we never knew or we just forgot. They're in a way just another person, just like us. Before they are Kabuki Shoujo, they're just high school girls with a dream to take on a big stage. They have worries and just like us, sometimes worries led to mistakes. They have made many and strayed out of their ways. But as the burning passion for acting still light up their heart, through many acts in the movies, through the symbolic visual, they've finally realized their true ways. The stage is their home and their true calling. What an inspirational movie that was.

Like I stated many times above, the visual is quite spectacular. But the osts is definitely on par with that. Many songs are epic in the battle scenes. While the others can bring sorrows to any viewer's heart.I've never seen such a balance between visual and osts in an anime before.

Overall, I think Shoujo☆Kageki Revue Starlight as a whole is a series you must watch. Originality has been long lost in media over the last the decade. But rarely, there will be a show that shines a glimpse of hope and to me, Shoujo☆Kageki Revue Starlight is one of those shows.

Reviewer’s Rating: 10

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Feb 27, 2023

Gippy

Not Recommended

NOTE: SPOILERS FOR THE TV SHOW AND CERTAIN SECTIONS OF THE MOVIE

This movie sequel takes place after the TV show. There was a recap movie called Rondo Rondo Rondo but I didn't see that. I'll be completely upfront here and admit that I didn't like the TV show very much, giving it a 3/10. However, having recently enjoyed Kageki Shoujo, which took a more grounded approach to the world of theater, I was willing to give the Revue Starlight franchise another chance. I was hoping that the movie would address my grievances with the TV show, and convert me into a fan.

The reason I disliked ... the TV show was because of two main factors. First, it had presented a fascinating plotline halfway into it. One of the girls, Nana, had repeatedly won her duels, then kept turning back time to re-experience the moment. This set up Nana to be the primary antagonist, and for the show to take a dark, complex turn. But then the main girl, Karen, inexplicably defeated her in one episode and continued the poor main storyline.

The second factor, and more importantly, was the entire premise of the show itself, where girls faced off in rapier swordfights, all set up by a mysterious giraffe. They kept talking about "glimmers" and wanting to be the "star" of the play. And the show didn't make me care at all. The fights held no weight to them, because it was playfighting and not some life-or-death matter. You could argue that I'm being too dismissive of the show's fantasy elements, that there are elements the viewer should just accept. In magical girl shows, we don't need a full explanation of why magical girls are able to transform; we just accept it. However, even in magical girl shows, there's some semblance of universe believability, such as a key moment where the girl acquires her powers, or a cathartic scene that causes her to unlock additional powers from within. But in Revue Starlight, the stages were all mysteriously created for the girls in a world that supposedly resembled modern-day Japan. And the whole Starlight system was never fully explained. But at the very least, there was the story for Karen to be the main star, however contrived it was.

The movie, on the other hand, took the pretentious and abstract elements of the TV show, and turned it up to eleven. Kinema Citrus correctly knew that virtually every viewer who sees this movie were already fans of the TV show and accepted its shortcomings. Instead of improving on the TV shows weaknesses, it dismissed them. It went for the grandest, most pretentious spectacle without a care in the world for the haters. It reveled in its absurdity and lack of stakes by proudly showing explicit, graphic footage of exploding tomatoes, then passing it off as fake blood from fake rapier stab wounds.

There is virtually no explanation of present-day events in the movie. There are numerous flashbacks, but the movie fails to connect them to the present storyline, other than that Karen and Hikari were best friends when they were kids. But you already knew that in the TV show. I felt nothing as the stages became more elaborate, with the use of vivid imagery that appeared because the writers thought it would look cool, such as trucks, trains, and neon lights. Abstract literary devices and symbolism only works when the viewer is able to make a connection, but the movie made no attempt to explain this. Rather, it wants fans to come up with their own theorycrafting to explain everything. As fans attempt to channel their inner life experiences and thoughts, they may see some of themselves in the girls. And perhaps that's why Revue Starlight has such fervent fans, because to criticize the franchise would be to criticize their inner selves.

As for the production value, it is incredible. This movie is certainly an audiovisual treat, and Kinema Citrus is at the top of their game. But what good is it if the story is such incomprehensible garbage? I couldn't tell you what really happened in the movie. I couldn't tell you why the giraffe transformed into fruit salad, or why the final revue ended in an unnamed desert. Even as the numerous revues ended, I couldn't understand what had happened between the dueling pairs. Revue as an artform had its golden years in the 1920s, but lost popularity as the audience found it too patronizing compared to regular theater. In a way, the Revue Starlight movie is a summary reflection of that. It is so grand and spectacular. But yet, it is so pretentious, arrogant, and abstract, leading to emptiness for those who don't understand it. The movie laughs at them and throws tomato blood at their faces, while the fans will latch on to it as some form of higher entertainment.

Reviewer’s Rating: 2

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	Poll: Shoujo☆Kageki Revue Starlight Movie Discussion KANLen09 - Dec 30, 2021	47 replies	by x_scolopendra_x »» May 18, 8:09 AM
	Picture change request GNOATXELELITE - Jan 14, 2022	2 replies	by KitsuFrost »» Mar 18, 2023 5:16 PM
	Where i can watch this movie ?? PANDORAXXX - Jul 15, 2021	5 replies	by KitsuFrost »» Mar 18, 2023 3:57 AM
	Does the movie end the story? Squilon - Oct 3, 2022	7 replies	by Squilon »» Feb 13, 2023 10:21 AM
	IS THE FANDOM DEAD? cotimaku - Apr 29, 2022	8 replies	by Dontbannedmemal7 »» Sep 9, 2022 5:52 AM